Should I upgrade my 2008 iMac from 10.6 to 10.7 or 10.8?

I'm wondering (a) should I upgrade at all and what to and (b) if I do can I go back to 10.6 somehow?
(a) I would like to have increased connectivity between my iMac and iOS devices via iCloud, and I like the new Mail app in Lion/ML. Anyone got experience with older iMacs running Lion or ML?  How well do they cope?  Any advantages or disadvantages of note?
If a lot of people find that performance is really bad on similar iMacs the following is not relevant. (I have increased RAM to 4GB (max) and have a 320 GB HDD)
I was thinking of some ways to upgrade that might allow me to just see how the iMac handles a new OS and still allow me to go back to SL if it slows down too much.
1. Install Lion on a partition.  If it works well install Lion onto whole system, if not delete partition.
2. Install Lion on whole system and if slow go back to 10.6 via a Time Machine backup (doubt that would work).
3. Install Lion on whole system and if slow go back to 10.6  via a backup in other software (CCC for example – which I don't have yet – might work?).

First check that your Mac meets the System requirements for Lion...
Lion Tech Specs  >  http://support.apple.com/kb/SP629
See here to Buy it...
http://store.apple.com/us/product/D6106Z/A/os-x-lion
If so Contact Apple in your Country to Purchase a Lion Download code...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HE57
In the US...
1-800-MY-APPLE or 1-800-676-2775
Be sure to make a Backup of your Current System Before Upgrading...
Also... Check here for compatibility of 3rd party Software you may be using... Also note that Rosetta is no longer supported in Lion.
http://roaringapps.com/apps:table
You should also consider more RAM... Lion is a hungry beast...
You can use these Links to check which RAM is suitable for your Mac...
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/apple/memory/
If in the UK... Go to http://www.crucial.com
It is Important to get the Correct and Matching RAM
Those sites also have videos on how to Install RAM should you need it...

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